HomeBeauty TipsInstagram have released a new report about how we all use social...

Instagram have released a new report about how we all use social media

And we’re teaming up with them for a panel discussion to talk about it

It’s no secret that Instagram is the home of beauty. It’s where we follow beauty mavericks, hair stylists and make-up artists and wind up feeling like we know them. It gives us quick access to tutorials, inspiration, and beauty tips. And it’s where we at Dazed Beauty find the trends and beauty communities that we write about, from illusionists creating looks in their bedrooms, to the prosthetics artists freaking us out via our phones.

However, a new report from Instagram has put all of this creativity into facts and figures, conducting and gathering research on how we engage with beauty on the Instagram app and on Facebook. Their report found that 78% of UK millennials use Instagram for beauty-related purposed, 37% of young people in the UK are likely to create a make-up related post on social media and 23% of us use Facebook Messenger to talk about beauty with our friends. Then there are the hashtags: #selflove has over 20 million posts, #wakeupandmakeup has over 12.4 million, and #bodypositivity over 7 million.

Harnaam Kaur, was one of the people Instagram interviewed for the report (alongside the likes of drag queen Miss Fame and make-up mogul Huda Kattan). An anti-bullying activist, motivational speaker and body positivity icon, Harnaam said that Instagram helps her do her job: “I’m glad that I’m able to interact with people that are thousands of miles away. I use Instagram to share my story, show people the value of themselves and how we are all worthy enough to be free in our own bodies. I think because I’m a bearded lady people are also interested in my day to day life, so I use it to show my daily routine, events I’m going to and the cool people I’ve met along the way. My main intention is to use it to help inspire people.”

Tomorrow, Dazed Beauty are running a panel with Instagram in London to discuss how we talk about beauty online, how the way we’re talking about beauty is changing more broadly, and after our recent Dazed Beauty Mental Health Census, how social media can serve us better when it comes to representation and diversity.

Speaking on the panel are: Dazed Beauty Contributing Editor, our nonbinary columnist, drag queen and writer Tom Rasmussen; Em Ford, who runs the account @mypaleskinblog to talk about owning your acne; Chidera Eggerue aka The Slumflower, the body positivity speaker behind the #saggyboobsmatter movement and a certified Dazed Beauty Community Member; and Elijah W. Harris, the writer, trans activist and author who recently wrote a piece for us about getting a smear test when you’re a boy.

You can keep an eye out for clips of the panel on our @DazedBeauty Instagram account from 10.45am tomorrow morning, or by following the hashtag:#InstagramInsideBeauty